12 tales from behind the lens #12 “The Oxford Blue”

The final day of 12 tales from behind the lens with The Oxford Blue Pub

Hi folks, so here we are at the end of my 12 quick snippets of 2016. What a way to close off 2016 than with 3 days of shooting at The Oxford Blue Pub in Old Windsor.

I’ll be writing in more depth about The Oxford Blue but I couldn’t leave it out of my 12 tales. It’s been a long-held dream of chef patron, Steven Ellis, and now it’s come true. I tell ya when dreams manifest into reality, they are something very special indeed.

I thought I’d leave you with a food photo even though it’s only one aspect of what I photograph. I hope you’ve been able to see the thread which weaves through all of my work. Food and restaurants are a speciality of mine, but the story behind what brings the food to us is what is juicy. Anyone who pushes the boundaries of what’s thought of as the norm in their field, have a passion and drive to do better. Reaching higher, not afraid to stumble or fall, expecting difficulties and striding out anyway. These are my kind of people.

The Oxford Blue is the pinnacle of all that’s great and glorious about a British pub. Some things have probably never been seen in a pub before. That’s exactly what we need. The Wright Brothers didn’t stick with what we already had. They had a vision in the mind, we’re excited to make it a reality and believed they could make it happen. There was no road map or other people to copy from, they were forging a new path. We need much more of this in our world.

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Napoleon Hill

Camera and settings

I had some great adventures in 2016 and this coming new year is going to have so much more. There was the highest level of flash used in my photography too which I’m embracing wholeheartedly. Natural light can be beautiful and I use it when I can, so often, last year, it just wasn’t an option for me. Finding beautiful flash solutions is one of my priorities and I hope you’ll join me on my lighting adventures, sharing my findings as we go.

Last year I described as “emotional” and that it was. This year is about “deep focus” and playing big. How are you approaching this year? What exciting adventures are you going to make a reality? Do share in the comments, I’d love to hear from you.

One more thing, if you’re still reading down this far, how many of you would be interested in a flash for food photography course? Would you prefer online or actual workshops? Thanks for your feedback in advance.

See you back here very soon, thanks for joining me. Wishing you a year of abundance of fabulous experiences.